Al-Birekdar v. Chrysler Group, LLC, No. 08-3780 (8th Cir. 2013)
Annotate this CaseChrylser appealed an adverse jury verdict in favor of plaintiff on a retaliation claim under the Missouri Human Rights Act (MHRA), Mo. Rev. Stat. 213. Plaintiff cross-appealed, claiming that the district court improperly granted a motion for directed verdict on a punitive-damages claim and improperly reduced the attorney's fee award. The court held that the jury instruction on plaintiff's retaliation claim was proper; evidence was sufficient to support the verdict under the MHRA "contributing factor" standard; and the evidence was sufficient to support the jury's economic-damages award. The court affirmed the district court's refusal to submit the punitive damages claim to the jury. Because plaintiff also requested attorney's fees for time spent on post-trial motions and appellate work, however, the court remanded to the district court for consideration of this request, leaving the issue to the district court's discretion.
Court Description: Civil case - Employment Discrimination. Jury instructions submitting plaintiff's claim that Chrysler terminated him in retaliation for a previously filed charge of discrimination with the Missouri Commission on Human Rights were not erroneous; evidence was sufficient to support plaintiff' verdict under the Missouri Human Rights Act's contributing factor standard; evidence was sufficient to support the jury's award of damages; evidence was not sufficient to support a finding that Chrysler acted with an evil motive or deliberate indifference to plaintiff's rights and the court did not err in refusing to submit plaintiff's punitive damages claim to the jury; district court did not err in reducing plaintiff's attorneys' fee request; plaintiff's request for attorneys' fees for time spent on post-trial motions and appellate work remanded for further consideration.
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